In the shadows
by IluvAtem
Summary: Atem is a vampire. A young vampire who has been living alone ever since he was reborn into this world a few years ago. Demons destroyed his life and now, with a little help from the gang, it's payback time! It's from his POV! Rated for Violence and gore!
1. Duality

"They say that number thirteen, Quent Street, is haunted by a five thousand year old spirit of an Ancient Egyptian Pharaoh. He was murdered on that very spot, right underneath the basement. Before that, I've heard that his parents were devoured by demons. People say he was reborn, a Goth of seventeen years of age. Now, they say he's a vampire. People hear screams and catch glimpses of murders. He lives alone, and never comes out. He gets his food from his victims and sleeps in a coffin. They even say he can transform into a bat or wolf, or even grow wings. He doesn't go to school, doesn't have any family or friends, just him and the wandering spirits of his meals...No one has ever entered that house since it was built..." the girl finishes her story and her friends gasp in awe.

I step away from the window, hissing through my teeth. The sunlight no longer sizzles my skin. I've become immune to it after stalking my prey for so long. I hate it when they spread rumours about me. It may be true, but I don't want people bursting into my house and dragging me away to laboratories. Nor do I want police arresting me for my blood lust. Nobody will believe those kids anyway. Those pathetic humans still think demons, vampires and werewolves are a myth. I have experienced them myself, and chose to join them. If anyone took me away, they'd say I was mentally ill.

I sigh and look around the room. There's no wallpaper, just cold, hard, bricks. No carpet, just wooden floorboards. I grabbed this place and moved in just before they could finish it. The builders? Sucked them dry of that crimson lifeline. This place was already furnished. Luckily enough, it was set to be a gothic museum. All I did was relieve some ungrateful human soul of his coffin. I have everything I need here. I keep it clean and tidy -vampires are proud creatures- and keep myself to myself. I don't see why I'm such a bother to them. Humans take everything for granted!

I have a basement full of bats. They're wonderful creatures. They help me devour my prey and dispose of the bodies. I keep myself busy by playing with them, reading, writing and sketching. According to the humans, I'm spending too much time alone. I don't need them! They won't understand me. I'm not alone anyway; I have my bats and arachnids. I have a large collection of spiders that I enjoy studying. I can socialise with my bats, if I wish. After all, I can become one of them.

I yawn and stretch, ruffling my hair. I've gotten into the habit of not sleeping much. Humans are getting up later and going to bed earlier. That makes them hard to get hold of. The stairs creek as I stagger lazily down them. Two hour's sleep. I must be trying for a record! I stumble into the kitchen and flick a switch on the stereo on the dining table. Ah, a favourite song: Good Charlotte - 'Murder'. I sniff and pull my boxers up slightly. That's all I wear when I'm being lazy or sleeping. I reach into a cupboard, pull out two slices of bread and drop them into the toaster. As I wait for my breakfast, I grab a knife, butter and a saucer and place them on the counter.

I sit at the table and sleepily sip at a glass of fresh blood, nibbling my toast in between. I hear a quivering postman push a newspaper through the letterbox. I groan. "Leave me alone," I growl, getting up and going to pick it up. I return to my seat.

"Why live when you can be immortal like me?" I muttered, observing the newspaper with disgust. "Why do you humans have to tell each other about everything? You can't do a bloody thing without them publishing it and translating it into every language so the whole flipping world knows!"

I toss it into the bin and finish my breakfast. The stairs creek again as I jog up to my bedroom. I place my clothes out on my bed and take a quick shower in the en suite bathroom. I trudge back into the room and pull my clothes on. I'm wearing a black shirt, black trousers, a spiky dog collar, big gothic boots and black eyeliner. I go back down, change the disk to a heavy metal group and go to the third track. I turn the volume up. No neighbours. They're too scared.

I grab my guitar. Slamming out the tune, like a heavy metal star on stage. I pretend I am. I close my eyes. The crowds are screaming at me to carry on. I drop onto the floor, roll onto my back and lift my guitar up high, still playing. The crowds are reaching for me. I leap onto the table, pretend it's an amplifier. Suddenly trip. Lose my balance. Fall flat on the floor. Slipknot are the only ones who scream at me. The guitar makes my gut pang. I lie on the floor, weeping like a child. I don't have family or friends to support me. My dreams are as good as dead. I never had a proper childhood, just thrown onto a throne and expected to rule a country.

Humans did this. They destroyed everyone I knew.

I. Hate. Humans.

My eyes flicker open. I groan and pull myself up. I must have fallen asleep. It's been three hours since I fell over. I hear children's voices.

"I dare you to knock on the door," one says.

"Fine," the other agrees.

I hear shaky footsteps as the kid approaches my front door. I silently wait behind it, ready to pounce. It knocks. Once. Twice. Three times. I shove the door open. The children scream. I grasp the human, that knocked, by the neck. I hold her up. The shrieks and struggles. Her friend has run away. My wings grow from my shoulder blades. My fangs lengthen. I hiss at her. Her screams begin to alert the rest of her clan. I quickly throw her inside and slam the door.

"Don't hurt me!" the female yelps as I glide over. She gasps as I grab her hand. There is a cut on her palm. It bleeds. I lean in and lick it. She tenses up. I narrow my eyes. Spit it out in disgust. "Your blood is sour," I grunt. "Your family is cursed."

I shove her hand back at her and she looks up at me, still shaking. "W-What will you do to me?"

I shoot her a glare, then turn away to think.


	2. Haunted

I give a loud snort and sit up. I must have fallen asleep again...That girl. She's still here, playing with my spiders with the TV on. I crawl over to her. Sit down beside her. She notices me. Drops everything, startled. "I'm sorry! I was just...You were..." she trails off. I put my hand out. A tarantula crawls onto my palm. I stand up, go and sit on the sofa.

"I'm so sorry, I-"

"Go home," I cut in, watching as the spider scuttles over my hands.

"But...Aren't you going to-"

"Go home!" I shout roughly, snapping my eyes onto her. "Look, you have a family waiting for you. That's more than I'll ever have! Your family is cursed with a short life. They have a disease. Go and see them before their time runs out. I don't want you to end up like me!" What have I just said? I've never said anything like that before, especially not to a human.

"I-"

"GET OUT!" I explode. I jump to my feet and throw the table over, onto its side. The girl bursts into tears and runs out of the house. My spiders scurry back into their boxes. Even they can't stand my wrath.

I collapse back into my seat. Put my head in my hands. I'm breathing heavily, shaking with rage. I close my eyes. Sleep consumes me once again...

"Pharaoh," a female voice whispers. I look up and glance around. There's no one there. A bat flutters over and lands on the table leg. She heard it too. She squeaks as she hobbles about on her tiny feet.

"Pharaoh, we need you,"

"Who are you? Show yourself! How can I help you if you don't tell me why?" I call.

My eyes open. I'm in a tomb. This was the tomb of a Pharaoh. Everything floods back to me. These artefacts are all mine. Everything in here once belonged to me. Everything is made from pure gold and stone, painted with colourful patterns. "Read from the tablet," a voice hisses. "Hurry!"

Which tablet? There are many in here. I uneasily step further into the chamber. Something gleams in the corner of my eye and I wander over. Lying on the floor is the most beautiful piece of carved gold. My crown. I kneel down and pick it up. It shimmers, even in the darkness.

I hear something clatter across the floor. I spin round, dropping everything. There are pieces of the walls crumbling all around me, my world is shaking. This has happened before. I cannot move, my body won't let me. My body won't let me scream, I'm frozen to the spot as the place collapses before me. If I don't move soon, I will be crushed by the very tomb I was laid to rest in. Move! Come on, move, move, move! I mentally throw myself forward, but only the falling chunks of stone jump away, only just evading me. Suddenly, the floor beneath me begins to crack. My mind and heart are racing, in an effort to keep me alive, in competition with each other to see who fails first.

When I open my eyes again, I'm in ancient Egypt. I'm my younger self, seven or eight years old. "Mother! Father!" I call. I walk to their chamber. There is a growling sound. I peer round the corner, into the room. My pupils shrink to the size of pinpricks. My parents are dead. Their bodies are severed, limbs torn from torsos, heads ripped from necks. There's blood and flesh everywhere. There are two creatures feasting on the corpses. One has the head of a lion and the body of a bear. The other has the body of a cheetah and the head of a crocodile. My eyes water. I'm shaking.

There are scarab beetles writhing all over my parent's skulls, devouring their eyeballs and sinking in and out of their skin. The insects ooze from their open mouths. I stand there with my mouth agape, tears running like the Nile down my face. The beasts see me. They growl and hiss, stalking me. I begin to sob, wide eyes fixed on them. I stagger backwards. They pounce. The pair of monsters snarl and roar, ripping the flesh from my bones. I scream and scream, until one of them clamps its teeth around my throat. I choke then stiffen. Silence. There's still one drop of life left in me. I scream one final time as they tear my head off.

My voice fades to a deeper tone. I'm drenched in sweat, clutching the rug beneath me. I stop yelling and get up, feeling ill. I tremble as I make my way to the bathroom. My stomach lurches, I heave and just make it to the toilet in time. I shudder as I lean over the seat and the vomit drizzles from my lips. I spit. It isn't long before I throw up again. I think I'm done now. Flush the toilet and wipe my mouth. I feel dizzy and hot. Oh, no! Not again! I drop back onto my knees and retch. Nothing. My stomach's empty. I know I should get more rest, but after that nightmare, I'm afraid to.

I feebly drag the covers from the spare bed down to the living room. I pour myself a glass of blood and leave it onto the coffee table. Pull myself up onto the sofa and curl up under the quilt. It's about one O'clock in the morning according to the clock on the wall. I close my eyes and pray to Ra that I don't have another bad dream. Fortunately, my prayers were answered and I fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.


	3. Bat Country

The sun rises the next day. I snore. My mouth hangs open. Still snuggled up on the sofa. The blood in the glass on the table had gone stale. Makes the air smell lovely though. I left the TV on. KERRANG! TV is on. My head rolls from left to right, my short dream of being eaten by a giant fish that came from a puddle is invaded by a band. Semi-conscious, I roll onto my side, facing away from the screen. I finally open my eyes. Switch off the TV and get up. Nausea still exists inside of me...I gulp down the stale blood and slam the glass back down, grimacing. I put my head in my hands and take deep breaths. That normally calms me down. It works. I pluck up the courage to get something to eat and head to the kitchen.

About an hour later, someone knocks at the door. That's the second time this week! What do these humans want? I answer the door. Standing before me are a group of people about my age. They smile at me. "What do you want?" I growl.

"Atem!" the female brunette cries.

"Is it really you?" a shorter boy asks. He looks like me, except younger and less serious.

"I am Atem," I mutter. "How do you know me?"

The pair frown at me. "Um...we don't speak in ancient Egyptian. Could you translate that?"

Another pair of humans pop up. They have a tan, remind me of people I used to know. "He says he is Atem and how do you know him," the male says.

"I'm Yugi," the short boy smiles. "This is Tea. That's Ishizu and her brother, Marik. Don't you remember us?"

I study them closely. They do seem familiar to me, I feel like I've known them before. "You were...my friends?" it's then that I notice my thick Egyptian accent and the ancient language I use. Is that why that girl wouldn't listen to me when I asked her to leave? I pause to think. I can't understand them anymore. I used to. I used to speak their language.

I allow them into my house and we settle on the sofa. The first two that I saw speak to me about old times. In the past, I knew them. Ishizu and Marik translate for us both. The female, Tea, just sits there blushing. "What's wrong?" I ask.

"He said what's wrong?" Ishizu replies to her.

Tea whispers something to her and she leans closer to me. "Err...She thinks you're sexy!"

Later, we get the gossip that there are demons in an Egyptian tomb. The humans want to investigate, but I'm weary. It's in the city. That's where the kids'll make fun of me. They'll attack me. I'll be forced into prison. I want to kill those demons, but I'll never forget what they did. Never.

I'm wearing a leather outfit. Tea is too. I sigh and put my helmet on. She does too. There's no room for us in the car. I glance around. The whole neighbourhood is out, staring at me is if they've never seen a vampire before. I snort and get onto my motorbike. Tea gets on behind me. The car starts off and heads into the road. I start the bike up. We cruise into the road and follow the car. Tea doesn't say a word. I can sense her nerves. Almost smell her fear. But, somewhere inside of her she loves me, for who I am, not what I am. I'm not that sure though. It might be a trick. I concentrate on the road, dragging my mind away from the female human with her arms wrapped around me.

"Are you all right?" I ask, loudly over the roaring engine.

"What?" she calls.

What did she say? She probably doesn't understand me either...I'll have to teach her some of my language when we stop for a break.

It's such a long way to the city. The sun has already set, and given way to the beauty of night. We finally stop at a service station. I park my bike and me and the girl take our helmets off. We sit around a coffee table. Order drinks. Yugi has cola. Tea and Ishizu have hot chocolate. Marik has tea. I have water. Don't really like water, but it's the most flavourless thing I can get. I unscrew the top and reach into my pocket. I pull out a small vial of crimson liquid. Pour a few drops into my drink and swirl it around. I put the blood back in my pocket and take a few swigs. It's like an instant meal to me; quenches my thirst and soothes my hunger. Yugi grimaces. Tea watches intently, like she's studying a new breed of ape. I don't like it here. Too many humans and their vile habits. Tea's watching me again. I snap. "Would you like to learn my language?" I mutter.

"He doesn't like you watching him. I think you should just talk to him, not stare at him," Marik says to her quietly.

"No, he asked you if you would like to learn his language," Ishizu cuts in, scowling at her brother.

Tea smiles and nods. I say a simple sentence. She tries to repeat it, but it takes several tries for her to understand pronunciation and accent. I try another sentence, this time, a longer one. CRASH! We gasp and spin round. I jump to my feet and sniff the air. I frown. I can smell vampires, here, in this room. I scan the place, ready to attack who or whatever just broke in. Wait. We're the only ones here. Just a second ago, this place was crawling with humans, loads of them. How could they escape so quickly and unnoticed. I should have noticed them with my heightened senses. Only demons can move that fast. They can't have been demons; I would have smelt them, they would have killed me.

There's a shattered window to my right. "Show yourself!" I shout. "Now!"

"Your senses have failed you, Pharaoh," a female voice sneers. I growl. The humans huddle together behind me.

"What do you want from us?" Yugi yells.

"What I want is standing in front of you," the vampiress grins. She speaks both my language and theirs. I glare and flash my sharp, pointed long canines.

"Is that a challenge?" she hisses.

From out of nowhere, a large brown wolf leaps into view before us. I snarl like an animal, lunging at her, whilst transforming into my own wolf form. We clash into each other. The fight's on. We tackle each other, clawing, scratching, biting, snarling. She snaps her teeth around my hind leg. I howl with pain and swirl round, clamping my jaws around her throat. She chokes and throws me off. I pounce onto her. We wrestle on the floor. Blood stains our fur and spills everywhere. Our bodies cannot heal themselves if it is an attack from another of our kind.

We suddenly switch, from wolf to bat, in a split second. We flutter in the air, still battling. She snaps at me. I snap back, withdrawing just as she goes for my throat. Another change. We're in our strongest form. With black, demonic leathery wings, claws and teeth twice as long and sharp as when this began, we rage on. The vampiress slams me onto the floor. "Give up, young man, you're wasting my time!" she growls in my ear.

"Never!" I hiss, kicking her away. I grasp her by the neck and roar at her face. She screeches and smacks me. I drop her. She hovers above me. I glower up at her, a fresh scar bleeds across my face. She smirks, proud of her work. I launch myself at her, pounding her into the wall behind her. I lean in and bite into her neck. CRUNCH! She screams at me, peels me off and thrusts me into a window. The group of humans duck.

The glass shatters into the night sky and I hit the pavement below. I begin to pick my self up, arching my back, wings drooping. My hands slip in my own blood. I'm on all fours, gasping for breath. My face is smeared with crimson. The female vampire holds me up by my spine and nose dives into e building. She drops me and I smash into it. She cackles and swoops away, into the night. I slip down to the ground and tumble into the road, unconscious. Tea gasps and puts her hands over her mouth.

"Pharaoh! Are you okay?" Marik calls.

"Oh, no," Yugi croaks.

"We need to help him!" Ishizu cries, hurrying to the staircase.


	4. Coming Undone

I can't believe it. I have human friends and I have feelings for a human girl! I even protected them! I guess they're not so bad after all... I'm drained of energy. Need blood. Need to heal. I lie, still unconscious, on a bed in the Ishtar's mobile home. Luckily they brought it with them when they flew over here to find me. I still don't know why they need me. I'm no longer a mighty Pharaoh, just an unfortunate, skinny young creature. Marik's an expert in the first aid department. He's treated and bandaged my wounds, given me oxygen from one of those machines humans use in hospitals and checked that I'm doing fine. He, Yugi and Ishizu are sitting in the main room, discussing what to do about the incident the other night.

Tea sits on a chair at my bedside. She watches me and talks to me. I've been out cold for three days now, except for when I woke up for about an hour just as they brought me here. She says it's getting serious. I can't hear her. Can't hear, see, feel anything or anyone, just out cold. I lie on my side, breathing softly, a creamy-white fang protruding from the corner of an unmoving mouth. The covers are tucked over my shoulders. My wings are folded neatly behind me. Tea sighs. It's getting late. She slowly turns away and quietly leaves.

The next morning, she returns to check on me. My wings have gone, and my claws. I'm staring out of the window, fully clothed. I'm paler than normal, shivering. "You're awake!" she smiles. "Why are you shaking?" I taught her some more Egyptian a few days ago. She learns quickly.

She approaches carefully. "Are you cold? Y-You need blood don't you?"

"Why do you need me?" I ask quietly. "I will only cause trouble,"

"We need you because you're the only one who can save us," Tea says.

"Why can't you save yourselves?" I snap. "Every time I try to save someone, it all goes wrong and I end up hurt. Why do you think I live alone?!"

"You're the only one who has the power to do this! We need you! If you don't do this, we all die! No more humans; no more blood for you!" Tea yells.

I glance at her over my shoulder. She can clearly see the red slashes across my face. The light and my pale complexion makes them stand out even more.

"I'm sorry," she sniffs. "I'm sorry we took you away. I can see why you did that. I understand,"

She begins to weep. Sits down on the bed. I limp over to her, sit down beside her. Pull her into my embrace. Tea sobs. Something in my mind clicks. What am I doing? I hate humans. I should be slaughtering her, not embracing her. What if the other vampires find out? That'll be the end of me!

"You shouldn't be out of bed. You need to rest," she says softly, drying her eyes. I stare unblinkingly at the window. What's wrong with me? We stand up.

"Pharaoh?" Tea looks up at me. "Are you okay?"

I slowly look up at her, glaring and smirking. My eyes are deep crimson.

I suddenly clamp my fingers around her throat and pin her to the wall. She shrieks. I hiss loudly, opening my jaws wide and moving in for the bite.

"Pharaoh, no!" Yugi shouts, throwing the door open.

"Enough!" Marik yells, tearing me off her. He drops me on the floor and Ishizu helps Tea up.

"What is wrong with you?" she splutters.

"I'm sorry..." I whisper. "I lost control..."

"A vampire that has been unconscious for a long while can be a deadly creature. He should be fine after he consumes some blood," Ishizu says calmly.

I take a long, cold shower. I find myself standing there, staring at my trembling hands, with hundreds of questions clouding my mind. The ice cold water nips and stings at my scars, making tiny flowers of red seep through and create pink trails down my body. I'm jittering. I turn the shower off, dry myself off and get dressed. I flop onto my bed.

"Hey," the door opens. Tea's standing there. "We saved you some dinner and found some blood,"

I sigh and follow her into the main room. There's Sushi on the table. The others are still eating. I take a pair of chopsticks and sit down with them. Not sure if I'm hungry. Feel weak and tired. I take a few small mouthfuls and pause to swallow.

"Here you go," Marik hands me a bottle full of fresh, warm blood. Silence. I drop everything, stare at it for a few minutes, then take the lid off and gulp it down. Feeling better, I stop, breathing heavily. "Where did you get this?" I ask.

"Found a funeral parlour. There were some new arrivals..." Ishizu says in a hushed tone.

We finish dinner. The girls clean up. I put my head in my hands on the table. Questions again. I still don't trust humans. Tea goes to tap me on the shoulder. Sensing her, I turn to face her. She gasps. My eyes are still crimson and wild from my attack earlier.

"S-Sorry," her voice is fragile.

I finish my meal in silence, then return to my room. I switch the stereo on. Evanescence: 'Like You'. I pick up my guitar and strum along. I'm sitting in the corner, on the floor, not even looking at the guitar, staring into space. The song reminds me of my parents. The lyrics...My hands and fingers move with a mind of their own. I find myself playing the next song also; Lostprophets 'A Town Called Hypocrisy'. I end up playing a whole hour's worth of songs. Marik knocks and comes into the room. He watches, intrigued. He turns the music off, but I still play. I do a fast solo, all over the fret board. My mind is elsewhere. Marik steps over and stops me by putting his hands on the strings. I blink and glance at him, returning to my senses as the violet returns to my eyes.

The following morning, as usual, the Ishtars are the first up. I'm still fast asleep, snoring loudly. Sleeping naked because I need new clothes, so I'm saving them for when I need them. My eyes flicker open. I get up, washed and dressed. Tea wants to take me shopping and show me the city. We leave the others in the mobile home and walk there. Tea's got her arm wrapped around mine and grins broadly. I have my hands in my pockets and my guitar on my back. Wearing black eyeliner, a fingerless glove on one hand, an armwarmer on the other arm, ripped leather boot cut trousers covering huge combat boots covered in buckles and a black T-Shirt with leather straps across it.

I buy some new clothes. Tea buys some too. We return to the mobile home for dinner. There's a programme on the TV. A news report. I recognise the area. It's Egypt. The reporter is in a palace, a large palace, near the Nile. She steps into a room, carrying a microphone and babbling on. I look beyond her. There's a throne, priceless amounts of gold and jewels, the walls carry the scars of a thousand storms, there's dried blood on them and the floor. I follow bloody paw prints with my eyes. I stop, narrowing teary orbs. There on the floor. There they are. Shattered spines, cracked skulls, splintered ribs.

I begin to shudder, hiding my face as clear beads of sorrow tumble down my cheeks. I break down. Yugi asks what's wrong and they all try to talk to me. I shrug them off and stagger to my room. Throw myself onto my bed and bury my head in a pillow. I sob loudly. Sorrow and fury rage through my mind. I find myself screaming into the pillow between long moments of weeping noisily. It's all my fault. I should have protected them with the power from the Millennium Puzzle.

"Pharaoh! We need to get to the tomb now!" Marik shouts. "GET OUT HERE AND FACE THEM LIKE A MAN!"

He'll never understand. He's never been through what I have. I'm not leaving at his command.

"GET UP!" he roars.

"Marik, stop," Ishizu barks.

"GET UP NOW!"

"You should never anger a vampire! Brother listen to me!" she exclaims.

"COME IN HERE AND ATTACK ME, BAT-BOY!!!"

I quickly burst into the room and grab him by the collar. My wings are spread wide and held high, my fangs have doubled in size and my fingernails are now claws. I glare like a raging bull. We're almost nose-to-nose. He can feel my cold breath over his face. My eyes burn a fiery red. "Is that a threat?" I growl. My voice is deeper and rougher. I sound like a monster from a horror movie. I narrow my eyes. "Because if it is, I can personally see to it that you never see the light of day again. I can rip your head off and tear you limb from limb, whilst wallowing in your blood." I say the last sentence deliberately slowly.

"It's not a threat! It's not a threat! It's not a threat!" Marik squeaks, shaking his head vigorously.

"Liar," I spit, baring my fangs.

Yugi struggles to try and hold me back. "Enough!" he yells.

I drop the quivering human and toss Yugi aside. "I hope you burn in hell," I grunt. I return to the safety of my room and slam the door behind me.

"I warned you," Ishizu scowls, lifting her shaken sibling up.

"What was that?" Tea breathes.

"That," Ishizu notes. "Is the true wrath of a vampire,"


	5. Anubi

"I found this," Yugi says holding up a small piece of plastic. "It's the latest in high-tech learning. If we put this on the Pharaoh, he'll understand us and speak English too."

"What are the side effects?" Tea asks.

"Where did you get that?" Ishizu adds.

"Grandpa gave it to me. He said I might find a use for it someday," Yugi replies. "If you don't trust me, then we don't have to-"

"We are going to use it...but only if you get him up and put it on him," Marik grins.

Yugi tip-toes into my room, holding the plastic chip in a clenched fist. I'm in a scruffy state, after last night's share of flashbacks and nightmares. My hair is messy, the covers are in a heap on the floor along with the pillows and I'm hanging half way off the edge of the bed. I have smudged eyeliner across my face. My claws and teeth have gone, just my wings remain. I snore loudly. Yugi approaches quietly and braces himself. The human quivers as I stir, moaning and giving a sudden punch at an invisible foe.

He freezes as I start to slide off the bed. Fortunately, I stop myself by grabbing the bed and pulling myself up. I turn over and curl up under the warmth of my wings. Yugi walks over to me and carefully taps me on the shoulder. I groan in response, screwing up my face. He talks to me in that strange language of his. I can't figure out a word he's saying. I stretch out -shuddering and yawning as I do so- and several bones click in my legs and arms. I press my palms over my eyes.

My head hurts. I want to sleep, but can't because of nightmares, flashbacks and now Yugi! CURSES! Yugi suddenly presses something against my arm. I gasp. Suddenly, my mind is being filled with new words, new phrases, a new language. It's like being in a room full of people talking. My headache progresses. I screw my eyes shut, clench my teeth. "Stop it!" I snap. Yugi lets go. The plastic falls onto the floor. "What was that?" I breathe.

"You did it!" Yugi smiles. "You did it! You learnt English! It worked!"

"What?" I mumble.

"Hey look," Tea smiles, pointing to an ad in a newspaper. "Band auditions!"

She beams at me.

"No," I grunt.

"But, you're really good at guitar! I bet you would do well in a band. Your voice would be good too," she says.

"No!" I say louder.

"Aw, come on, you're gorgeous and talented!"

I find myself in a hall, with the humans, on a stage, with musical instruments. Tea sings 'The Phantom of The Opera'. I'm forced to play along and sing as the Phantom. I can't help it! It's a favourite song! I put on a scary tone. We then do 'Wish I had an angel' by Nightwish. The judges are impressed. Days pass. Weeks. We've quickly become a popular touring tribute band, something I had never thought possible in my condition. Changed my hair. Down, to my shoulders, slightly wavey.

We're on the tour bus, cooling down after a great gig. Tea keeps fiddling with my hair as I lie stretched across the seats. I bat her off.

"What?" she smiles.

"Stop it!" I mutter.

"Why?"

"Because you were going to put my hair up and make me look like a girl," I mumble.

Tea smirks. "How did you know?"

"You do it every time," I grin. She runs her fingers through my hair. "No!" I clamp my hands over my head and try to move away. She chuckles and puts the headband away. I cup her face in my hands and she looks up at me. We stare into each other's eyes for a moment, drowning in each other's core. We close our eyes and move closer. Our lips finally meet. We both blush. A first kiss. I finally pull back. She stares into my face, azure eyes glistening in the light.

"I..." she breathes.

"Sorry..." I say quietly, sensing her feelings.

"No," she says softly. "Don't be,"

Tea returns the kiss, leaving me sitting there, still. I kissed her. The vampire clans will no longer accept me. They'll want to slay me. I'm doomed. Damned and doomed.

Human scientists are after me. I run across the rooftops, sprinting, panting, running for my life. I gasp. I'm nearing a dead end, the edge of the building. My leg pangs uncomfortably. I reach the edge, leap up, yelling. Spread my wings, glide down to a lower roof. I land on my bad leg, lose my balance with the pain and tumble across. The scientists are in a helicopter, catching up. I curse harshly and pull myself up quickly. I run to the edge again, jump off. No! My wings are tangled in chains, thrown from the helicopter. "WOOOOAAAAH!" I shout, the chains pulling me down faster than I had expected. I struggle. The chains snag at my black feathers. Falling faster. Feathers fluttering over the streets below. I finally break free, wings bursting to their full span. The humans under me duck. I swoop up.

I fly back to our hotel. Make a pathetic landing: turn into a bat, get through the window and slide across the floor, returning to my human form. "What did I tell you about going out alone with your wings out?!" Tea scolds.

"Uh..." I grimace.

The scientists spot me. I switch into a wolf and sit like an obedient dog. Yugi spins round and notice them. He quickly turns to me. "Um..." he pets me. "Good puppy!"

I pull a face as he rubs his hand all over my head and ears, like a toddler. Now I know why Grandpa won't let him keep pets! The humans move on in their helicopter. I growl at Yugi. Resume my teenage human form again. Yugi's ruffling my hair like mad. "Yugi," I grumble.

"Huh?" he opens his eyes and looks down. "Oh!" His ruffling grinds to a halt. "Heh...Heheh..." He tries to redo my hair, but I shove him off.

Another night, another gig...!

We're all sweating. Nearing the end of our performance. The crowds scream at us for more. My hair is wet with sweat. I'm arched over my guitar, playing hard, one foot on a speaker, throwing my head madly. Tea sings beautifully. Yugi plays bass, jumping up and down ont his toes to the beat. Marik drums. I step back, throwing my hair back, out of my face. The girls shriek at me, reaching desperately. I sing with Tea.


	6. Hybrid Theory

"Let us see what this hybrid is capable of," a man smirks. He has long black hair, tied back. He wears a fine black suit and a top hat. His eyes are a cold shade of grey. I'm trapped in a cage, directly under the moon. There is a fresh wound in my side. The man laughs as I wince, gripping the stinging flesh. He cackles as the clouds move away from the glowing orb. I slowly look up. A full moon. This is it; goodbye cruel world, hello pain.

The moonlight shines on me. My heart pounds in my ears, my breath catches and my viens throb. I feel my fangs grow uncontrolably. I grip the bars. My muscles pang as I arch my back. Falling to my knees, I grasp my painful skull and yell with pain. The man just laughs madly, as if my pain is his joy. I scream, lunging, throwing myself into the walls of iron bars that contain me. I feel as if I'm going to explode into a million tiny pieces. I snatch the bars again, managing to compose myself into a stance, breathing hard.

The moon reveals itself again. The pain intensifies. My aching heart skips a beat. I fall forward, back onto my knees, screaming, ripping, tearing my clothes off. Still the man laughs. My eyes are an inferno of bloodshot violet. My bones snap and crack into different positions, an unnatural wiry fur spreads over my skin, my hands and feet turn into clawed paws, a muscular body replaces mine. I'm howling like a banshee, my ears grow tall and pointed, shifting themselves to the top of my head. I can't hold on.

I shake the cage wildly, wailing. My jaws and nose lengthen, molding together to form a muzzle full of razor sharp teeth. It's complete. I'm a fully fledged beast - a hybrid that is more dangerous than anything Dracula and Frankenstein could ever imagine. Vampire and werewolf cells cannot both inhabit the same body. I will either be cursed, killed or overrun by one of the groups of cells. I only hope that it's the vampiric cells that gain victory.

I snap at the man who imprisoned me. I'm out of control. I will destroy anything in my path. I growl, standing on my hind feet, towering over the shadowed male as the remains of my clothes drop from my body. He clambers upon my cage and begins to rattle the locks. I snarl and sit back on my hocks, awaiting my release. A group of humans is flung into view, in chains. I narrow my eyes. The locks drop to the floor and the door is thrown open.

I launch myself at the humans. They are suddenly pulled up the tower, screaming and yelling as I leap up and scramble up the walls after them. They're dragged along the halls. I race after them, snapping and clawing for them. They disappear. I rise back onto my hind feet, scenting the air. There's half of a shriek from behind me. I whirl round and charge after the humans. They've been set loose. They run away together. I'm on all-fours, hurdling after them, snapping, knocking thing out of the way, smashing things, making a complete mess of the place, hungrily.

I don't remember anything after that. It's all a blur. My whole body aches. I groan and open my eyes. I'm lying on my front. My wound has healed itself. My wings are unfurled from my back. Ishizu stands over me, tending to them. She flexes my left wing. Pain shoots down my spine. "AARGH!" I explode.

"Stop squirming!" she mumbles.

"AHAAA!"

"Stay still!"

"AAAAGH-oooh...you sound like my grandmother!" I moan.

"Good!" she scolds.

"I don't feel well..." I mutter.

"Well, Mr.Rockstar, you do throw a gig whenever you can," Ishizu says loudly, folding my wings. "And what happened last night must have been painful..."

Marik sticks a device in my ear. It bleeps and he removes it. "You've got a high temperature," he grunts. "Looks like those cells are starting to attack each other,"

I sniffle and sneeze.

"Now they are," Ishizu nods. "Stay in bed and try to sleep through it,"

"We'll have to cancel tonight's gig," Yugi says.

"What?" I cough, eyes snapping wide open. "Argh!"

"Try to relax," Tea says soothingly. "You're sick and weak,"

"I don't want to miss-" I break off, coughing.

"See!" she grunts.

"I'm fine!" I protest.

"Don't lie, Pharaoh," she says stubburnly. "Let's promise not to lie to each other. That way, everything's gonna be a whole lot easier,"

Night comes sooner than I had expected. The Ishtars are asleep already. Yugi's watching movies on the TV and Tea's sipping at a mug of hot chocolate, hiding behind a pillow when scary scnes come on. I sit next to her.

"What does the C in KFC stand for?" Yugi suddenly pipes up.

Tea giggles. "You don't know?"

"Corpse," I smirk, just as the woman in the film is attacked by a zombie.

Yugi shudders.

I pick up a glass of blood from the table and begin to drink. The woman on the film screams as the zombie pulls her legs off. Tea turns to me and notices what I'm drinking. She shrieks and jumps behind her pillows.

"What?" I frown.

"Don't do that!" she whimpers.

"He's a vampire, remember?" Yugi says. "He needs to do that,"

I put the glass back on the coffee table and sit with my elbows rested on my lap. My chin is in my palms and I'm running a finger up and down my left fang. It's a habit I have, I do it when I'm thinking or bored.

After couging for what seemed like ages, and then finally coughing up a dark liquid, I manage to get into bed. I still don't feel well, but I'm pretty sure the vampiric cells are winning. I lie awake, long after my friends had fallen asleep. Can't get comfortable. My back, head and ears ache. For once I actually want to sleep. My arm hurts. Luckily I have my own room so that if anything goes wrong, I can keep it to myself.

"Hey, Pharaoh!" Tea knocks on the door. I'm still asleep.

"Pharaoh! Woohoo! Hello?" she bangs on the door.

"Hey, Atem!" Yugi yells.

"Did he lock himself in again?" Marik asks.

"He must have," his sister agrees.

"Pharaoh!" Tea tries one last time. "We'll see you at the beach okay?" she calls.

The group leave. My eyes flicker open. My body no longer aches. I hiss as I squint through blinding sunlight. My right arm feels different. I look down at it. "Aaargh!" From my shoulder down, it's covered in dense, wiry fur, my hand has leathery pads, on the tips of my fingers, my palm and on my wrist and my nails are claws! My arm's a werewolf! Please don't be permanent! I lump out of bed and try everything to return my arm to its original form. Nothing works. I need to hide this from the humans!

There goes my career of being a guitarist...I find some bandages in the bathroom and wrap them round my arm, tightly. Mummify it! The best way of preserving and protecting something, plus no one can get at it...I think...I get washed and dressed.

I wear black trousers, a black shirt under a hoodie and black boots. Put my hands, wallet and keys in my pockets and hope the bandages work. Jog down the stairs, have a quick breakfast then walk down to the beach. Tea, Yugi, Ishizu and Marik run over to me.

"You changed your hair," Yugi notes. "How come?"

I don't answer, just clench my fists in my pockets and fail to hide a wince as my claws dig into my palms. Tea keeps glancing at my arm suspisciously. I keep looking into her eyes, bringing her face up from it with my own. She reaches for me and I step back. Big mistake. I just made her even more anxious.

She catches a glimpse of fur. Grabbing my wrist and pulling my hands out of my pockets, she unwraps the bandages. "I thought we promised not to lie to each other," she says, smug that her rumors were true. She drops the fabric on the floor.

"I'm...sorry to tell you this, but that will be with you until you die," Marik says in a small voice as I glare at Tea.

I sit down on a bench and suck the blood from my palm. Another habit, for when I'm worried, scared or just in a bad mood.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Ishizu asks quietly.

"Looks like those cells had a tie then. Will he still transform?" Yugi mutters.

"No," Marik replies. "There is enough vampire blood in him to prevent that, and enough lupine blood to keep him immune to sunlight,"


	7. Leave Out All The Rest

We finally get to the tomb. It's full of demons. They're munchimg on mummies. We jump straight in and attack. I grab ancient swords and strike furiously. I raise thye blade above my head as the beast squirms beneath me. I bring it down, drive it through the heart. Tea is cornered.

"Tea!" I yell, throwing the sword. It spins toward the demon, then stabs its back. It spins round and comes after me. It has the head of a wolf and the wings of a bat. Perfect. I bet I could show it a lesson. I jump onto its back and bite down on its ear. It pins them back and crouches, tail between its legs. It whimpers. Now that it knows who's boss, I get off and take the chance to kill it.

The tiles beneath me give way. I fall through the gap, to the gloomy floor below. Tea falls after me. My wounds just about heal themselves before I leap up and grab her, spreading my wings. I touch back down with her in my arms and place her safely on the ground. She thanks me with a kiss. I return it.

"Hey! Stop playin' tonsil tennis in public! Sheesh...kids these days..." an old man yells from the shadows.

"Where...?" Tea looks round anxiously.

I raise my nose slightly and scent the air. I open my mouth, taste the air, frown and turn my head to my left.

"What are you lookin' at, ya hairy toothpick?!" the man shouts.

I snarl and pounce onto him and raise my clawed, furry, right hand, ready to strike.

"Whaddya want from me, punk? A razor for your arm, maybe?!"

I press my free hand into his throat, baring my extended fangs and growling.

"Sorry!" he chokes, waving his hands.

"Pharaoh, get off him, now!" Tea barks, stalking over.

I turn to glance at her over my shoulder. My features soften. Her innocence causes me to melt. I turn back to the man and toss him away. Tea helps him up, appologising for my attack. The old man has a tuft of grey hair on his head and a long white beard. He wears a cloth tied around his waist and seems to see the sarcastic side of life.

"Sorry about that," Tea says.

"Don't you worry, missy. I suggest ya keep your lads under control. I coulda taught him a lesson though..." he shakes his fist at me.

I narrow my eyes at him and let a hiss escape my lips.

"I'm really sorry," Tea repeats.

"Sorry?! He nearly killed me!" the man yelps.

"It's just his...nature," she says.

"Oh, yeah? What's his problem?"

"Um...it's a desease. He got it from...his brother," she lies.

I haven't even got a brother. I hope this old man doesn't know me!

He stares at me for a while then hobbles over, quickly.

"Oh! I know you!" his face light up.

DAMMIT! I slap a hand over my face and turn away. I should have known. I know him well.

"You're Atem! How could you attack your poor old Uncle Ankhan??"

I roll my eyes and try to walk away. He grabs my arm and pulls me back.

"I take back everything I said," Ankhan grins. "I hope you and this young lady aren't causing too much trouble,"

"I-"

"What have you done to your hair, ya scruffy little asp?" he takes a hand full of my hair and inspects it like an ape during social grooming.

I get annoyed and glower at him.

"Your hair's quite long, mind if I-"

I clamp my hands over my head and shuffle away. I remember what happened last time he gave me a bad haircut. Tea giggles.

I hear the humans above screaming.

"Let's go!" I grab Tea and my uncle. I run towards the pile of rubble that we slid down and take flight. I land perfectly and drop them at my sides. The beasts spot me. "Move!" I splutter, leaping out of the path of a raging bull-headed zebra. The humans huddle together in a corner.

I'm thrown into a pile of rubble. I slide from the stone and fall onto the floor, unconscious. The rocks begin to shake, then collapse on top of me. Tea gasps, teary-eyed. The statues of Anubis either side of her come to life, guarding the debris that I'm buried under. the demons approach, but they drive their spears through them. They cross their spears over, blocking the way to me. Tea and Yugi are allowed through. They dig frantically. The Ishtars keep the demons busy with the help of the jackal-headed Gods.

Blood spurts all over the place. There are screams, yells, roars, growls, snarls and snaps. They finally uncover me. Tea pulls me out. I cough and splutter, finding my feet as she and Yugi try to steady me. I insist I'll be fine, but they won't listen. I need to help the others, but the won't let me.

"I'm all-" I break into another coughing fit.

"You're not okay!" Yugi shouts over the chaos. "We need to get you out of here,"

Tea rushes to help Marik and Ishizu.

I toss Yugi off. He grabs me again.

"Let me go!" I snap.

"You'll die! They have silver stakes hidden between their teeth! I've seen them!" Yugi yells.

"Then it's a battle worth dying for," I growl. "They need help! These monsters can control magic beyond your knowlege!"

"You're-"

"NO! YOU'RE THE ONE WHO SHOULD STAY OUT OF THE WAY!" I roar, eyes wide and a sizzling shade of red.

I elbow him in the gut. He bends over, yelping in pain. I charge into battle, taking flight as I transform into my strongest form. the fight rages on for another hour or so. I can't find Tea. She's lost in a sea of beasts. Marik gets knocked into a stone tablet. It glows at his touch and suddenly the demons are gone. Tea lies on the floor in a pool of blood. Her skin is a grey-blue colour. Her chest doesn't rise and fall and her eyes are closed. I land roughly beside her and return to my normal state. I drop down beside her, gaping. Speachless. Silence. Yugi cowers away. The Anubis statues take their places and turn back into stone.

Tears drip onto the sandstone tiles, staining them. I hold Tea in my arms, plant a final kiss on her cold lips, draw blood from her neck and sup at it, then gently put her back down. Sorrow is replaced with rage. My fangs extend. I tremble, slowly glancing up at Yugi. I glare wildly, clenching my teeth. My eyes are on fire. Shaking with fury. I stagger to my feet, hair covering my face, looking down.


	8. Highschool Never Ends

Disgussions. We have to head back to the city. Have to fit in like everyone else and try to act normal so the scientists don't find us. Have to go to school and rent out a flat. Ishizu becomes more like a mother to us all. Her and Marik keep the house in order while Yugi and I are at school. I pass my arm off as a skin condition. Pretend the bottles of blood are medication. Tea's alive, recovering in hospital. Thankfully, she woke up and stopped me killing Yugi. She should be coming home soon. 

"So, what's next?" Yugi asks, strolling along at my side down the corridor. He wears a blue jacket, white shirt, white and red trainers and black trousers. He has a brown backpack. I wear a black hooded jacket, a black T-Shirt with a scruffy look to it (rips, rough stitches, chains hanging from it, mesh seen through rips), black trousers covered in chains and pockets with straps crossed over the back, and my all important gothic combat boots with buckles and yet more chains. I wear my spiky dog collar and eyeliner that lookes like someone ran a finger from it down my cheeks (think Benji Madden from Good Charlotte!! ;)). I have a black satchel across my body. "History," I mutter. "Aww...We got a test," he moans. "What's it about?" I frown, having forgotten all about the test and visited Tea instead of studying. "The Romans, duh!" he says cooly. "Oh..." 

We reach the classroom and take our seats at the back of the class. Yugi delves into his bag under the table and pulls out a pencil case. I slip a pen out of my pocket. "Hey!" someone hisses. I spin round. It's Ren. He taunts me some times and makes fun of my fashion sense. He thinks I'm a mutated wolf. He's overwieght, has red hair, green eyes, a smug grin and freckles. He's also quit big-headed and thick. He cheated his way into this group; top group. I'm in top group for everything but maths. I hate maths. "I'm gonna beat you, skinny wolf-zombie." Ren sneers. I narrow my eyes and growl softly. 

"You can start your tests now," Mrs. Rago nods over her book. She's got brown hair, always in a tight bun. She's always reading something. I don't know how she still manages to mark all of our work and finnish the latest 7 novels in an hour. I turn back to my desk. There's a piece of lined paper, my pen and a sheet explaining what I have to do. I have to write an essay about Roman history. I rest my head in my palm as I begin the most boring essay of my school life so far. I'm actually right-handed. Despite my claws and paw, I still manage to keep my handwriting neat. I get through two peices if paper, both sides. Ren's still struggling to understand the joined handwriting on his stolen papers under the desk. 

The bell rings. My wrist aches. That's what you get fro writing non-stop for a whole lesson. "Put your pens down," Mrs. Rago puts her book down - for once. We all put our pens down and sit up, sighing in relief. People start to mutter. "Ahem!" she scoffs loudly. The class fall silent again. "That bell is a signal for me that it is the end of the lesson, and not you. Now, when I collect your papers in, you may pack away," She collects our work and returns to her book. We pack away and stand behind our chairs. I sling my bag over my shoulder. Ren shoots me a glare. I return it. Mrs. Rago scans our tests and clears her throat again. 

"Your marks are as follows..." she announces. "Marko, C, Natali, A-..." She reaches the end of the scores. "Atem, A, Ren, F," "HA!-" I slap a hand over my mouth. Everyone stares at me. "Well, you can go now," Mrs. Rago turns a page in her book. 

It's hometime already. Time for a walk back to the flat. I turn my mobile phone on and play some of my favourite, heavy tracks at full volume, and put it in my pocket. Yugi winces. "How can you listen to that all day?" "Because I like it," I say. "It's better than all that crap everyone else is obsessed with..." "Did you know, acording to gothic slang, you're a Baby Bat?" he folds his arms. "Ooh...someone's done their homework," I roll my eyes. "Did you not think I already knew?" "You knew? I thought-" "I was told all of their terms by this kid who knocked on my door, just before I bit him..." 

Yugi's jaw drops. "A vampire's got to survive some how," I grunt. "Did the demons make you a vampire?" he asks quietly. I lean against the wall, put my hands in my pockets and stare at the ground. I ignore the question, instead I sing along to my phone. "Love song, for the dear departed, headstone, for the broken hearted..." He can see I'm not in a good mood. I haven't been since he stopped me helping Tea. 

We get back to the flat. Tea's there, waiting for me. The first thing we do is kiss. I shizu begins to talk about demons being sighted near by. We freeze and listen, tense. I stand behind Tea, with my hands in her pockets, my head rests on her shoulder. She has a hand on mine, the other at her side. Yugi keeps giving us sideways glances and Marik writes everything down. "There's an old church down the road. It's supposed to be home to a rogue vampire that is controling demons," Ishizu says grimly. 

Babysitting...My long lost cousin, Kaylee. I hate her. "Move!" I grunt. Kaylee's lying across the sofa. She pokes her tongue out at me. She's four. "I want to sit down, now move!" I growl. "No!" she grins. "Fine, then," I fold my arms, turn round and sit on her. "Hey!" she squirms. 

"I don't care," I say. "You stink!" "Come to think of it, your breath does smell like something died," Yugi shrugs at me. "So do you," "I hate you!" "I hate you too," "Kaylee, shut up. Pharaoh, grow up," Tea says loudly. The phone rings and she answers it. 

"Atem's got girl's hair!" Kaylee announces. "No I haven't!" I snap. We continue to throw insults at each other. "And I thought the Pharaoh was the most mature of us," Marik sighs. "Pharaoh!" Tea breathes. "They need you at the chruch! There are monsters!" "I wanna come!" Kaylee pipes up. "No, Kaylee. It's too dangerous. Stay here," I say swiftly, trying to hide the sword hanging from the belt I'm fastening around my hips. 

"Are you sure you wanna do this alone?" Tea asks quietly, as I open the door. I sigh. "Yes," "Good luck," she nods. We exchange kisses and I set out as quickly as possible. I hate churches. As you've probebly guessed, vampires stay away from religion. Thedemons are ready and waiting. One snaps hungrily at me. I bare my fangs as they double in size. I charge, sword raised, toward the nearest beast. It's the zebra again. My pace quickens as I draw closer. I swiftly swing the blade. Sliced into two halves, the demons drops onto the floor, dead. I work my way through the group, slashing and hacking them down. I gain wounds. 

I bite, scratch and stab. It seems to have worked on most of them. It rains through smashed glass windows and the shattered roof. The last one. It looks like some kind of mutated elf. It swings for me. I jump out of the way, grabbing a book and throwing it at the monster. The book does nothing but anger it. A wooden stake is launched at my heart. The steak pierces my chest, millimeters away from my heart. I yell in pain and pull it out, throwing it away. The demon picks me up. It has a rib-crushing grip. It sends me hurdling into a wall. My sword snaps. My wings unfold, my claws sharpen, I open my jaws as wide as possible and let out a huge snarl. The demon scrieches. We clash into each other. It grasps my throat. My jaws are wide open. We're almost nose to nose, raoring down each other's throats. I kick it hard in the gut. It squeaks and drops me. I leap back up and onto it. Shaking as I snarl at it. I think my jaws my snap. I lunge forward and bite into its neck. It chokes. I sever its throat. Blood spurts from its viens. It stiffens and, at last, dies. 

I'm exhausted. My wounds are throbbing. I can't walk back home. I'll have to imrovise...I transform into a bat and flutter through a broken window. I have to wait to fully heal. (Demons have the same effect as vampires) Until then, I'll have to rest. I get back to the humans. Don't want Kaylee to see me like this. She must never know my dark secret. I fly in through my open bedroom window. I change back to my humanoid form and close the window. I carefully peel my ripped T-Shirt from my chest, trying to keep the wincing as quiet as possible. I manage to get it off. I flop onto my bed and let my eyes close. 

"Are you sure he's not sick?" Yugi asks Ishizu. She nods. "He's been sleeping for ten hours already!" Tea says worriedly. "I can't take this!" She bursts into my room and gasps. As I've been sleeping, the wound in my chest has bled. The white sheets on the bed are blood stained. My chest rises and falls feebly. Tea sobs, hiding her face behind trembling hands. "Why didn't you tell us?" "I...I c-couldn't let K-Kay-" She shakes her head and turns away. Ishizu and Marik try to help me. My eyes slide shut again. My mouth hangs open. My fangs extend. Tea steps back. Demons. More demons. I. Hate. Demons. 


	9. The Sharpest of Lives

I awaken suddenly from a nightmare. I'm lying in a bed. A very soft and cozy bed. After a while I finally decide to get up. I get dressed. Tea suddenly comes running in. She throws her arms around me. "You're awake!" she cries. I look down at her and swallow. She buries her head in my T-Shirt. The wound in my chest pangs, but I ignore it. She carries on talking. I don't listen to a word. I'm too busy trying to control myself. I stare at her neck, then screw my eyes shut. My hands are twitching. My lips quiver. I can't contain my fangs. I take deep, shaky breaths through my teeth. My jaws hang open. I'm so hungry... 

My eyes snap open. I push Tea away. "What's wrong?" she asks. She turns to me. "Pharaoh?" I sit on the edge of the bed with my head in my hands. "Tea?" Yugi calls. "Ishizu wants to talk to you," Tea sighs and walks out of the room. My sensitive hearing picks up the quiet conversation. "...Do you not know how dangerous it is to be in love with a vampire?" "I..." "He could kill you at any moment. His blood lust is too strong to control in his state," "No..." "He's hungry, Tea. That's why he tried to attack you yesterday," 

Tea and I take a walk. She says nothing. I keep glancing at her. Does she know I overheard? I take her hand in mine. She looks at me. I give a small smile. We stop in front of a poster on the side of a building. "Do you want to take a tour of the Old Streets?" she says at last. "If that's what you want," I nod. We join the group of humans waiting at the gates. I pay for the tickets, although Tea wanted to. We take the tour. 

The funny thing is, as soon as we step through the gates, we're the only ones there. Following the tour guide cautiously. The old woman has two dogs. A small one and a large one. The larger one isn't on a leash, but the smaller one is. They both look exactly the same; black, with mane-like fur around their heads and necks. They have bushy tails. They're always baring their teeth and growling. The larger dog catches my scent. It turns and barks furiously. The old woman just carries on with the tour. 

I garb Tea's hand and run. The dog chases after us. "What are you doing?" Tea yells. "Those dogs...they know I'm a vampire!" I breathe. We hurry round a corner. Trapped between the old woman and her two dogs! I grab Tea and pull her into the nearest shop. The dogs howl at us. The woman grins and walks over to the door. "Don't you dare...!" I growl, clutching the handle. 

She holds a key in her hands. She waves it to us then lowers her hand. I watch her through the letterbox. She's locking us in! The smaller dog snap at me. I fall back. She turns and walks away. Tea falls silent. I take a few steps back and ram into the door. The door has been strengthened with steel frames. I ram into it until a cut on my forehead is caused and I bleed. 

"Pharaoh!" Tea snaps. I throw myself into the door once more. The frame shakes and the windows rattle. "Stop it! You're hurting yourself!" she pulls me away. We turn around. There is no shop. There's a wide open space. A meadow in a forest. The door's gone. "Wu-Where are we?" Tea stutters. 

"A young couple have been found supposedly in comas in a shop in the Old Streets. They were said to have been taking a tour with the missing woman Gladys Illton. They're now recovering in hospital..." "That's Tea and the Pharaoh!" Yugi gasps. "Let's get to that hospital then!" Marik says. 

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!" When Tea and I finally stop screaming at each other... "You look...uh...different?" she mutters. "So do you..." I reply. Tea's covered in fur. She has paws, (like my werewolf hand!)retractable claws, the ears face and the tail of a cat. I'm also covered in fur. I have the ears face and tail of a wolf. 

"Does this mean I'm going to cough up hairballs?" Tea growls. I shrug. "You're a Gothic wolf!" she yells. "I'm a stupid cat! We're stuck here like this forever!" "Maybe not," I disagree. 

We follow a path through the woods and come across a battered old building. The windows are still intact, but the doors are hanging from their hinges and the walls are worn. I step inside. Tea follows, wearily. I pin my ears back and flick a switch on the wall. A light flickers on. I explore the room. There's a sofa, a coffee table and a bookcase. I check for traps. Nothing. 

"HELP!" "Tea!" My ears prick up and I bound into the kitchen. She's shivering, trembling in the center of the room. There's a dead man lying on the floor. He's fresh. I kneel down and take the bite instinctively. Tea turns away. I'm lapping up the blood that pours from the wound I made. "M-M-Maybe he was the last one who tried to spend the night here?" Tea squeaks. The ground gives way. It splits into two halves. I reach for her. She reaches too. 


	10. Nemo

The scientists have held me captive for their studies for three years now. I have not aged. Vampires don't. I have been through so many tests, operations, interviews with the police, questions and days and nights of solitude. The humans? I did it. I killed them all. Can't sleep. Demons rule my mind. I'm locked in a cell, with a single bed and a glass wall. There's white paint on the walls, and a wooden floor. They observe me. My hair covers my face. No one has seen my eyes since the deaths. My skin is deathly pale. I pace the room, staring at the floor. I sit on the bed, seeming to be deep in thought. Put myself on a diet. Hope to die of starvation. I get given blood by my nurses. They bring me glasses of it every so often. They have to force feed me. I find myself replaying those awful scenes in my head, destroying them, greedily draining their blood. No one really knows what happened that night, except me and the demons. 

Another interview. They ask some questions, slowly, clearly. The clock ticks. Minutes pass like hours. I say nothing. The woman at the other side of the table holds my cold, fragile, trembling hands in hers. "Please tell us what you know," she pleads softly. "We need this information," "Show us your face, young man!" a frustrated policeman snaps. "We need evidence!" I slowly look up. They see my eyes; faded, worn, glazed, lifeless. Dead. They gasp. They don't know what I've done, what they've done to me, what the demons did. Slaughtered me a second time. I survived. Just. "What is he?" the woman asks. 

"We need answers!" the man shouts. I get to my feet. Widen my eyes, holding out a hand. The windows shatter. The man chokes. I hold my hand up. The man flies up to the ceiling. He bursts through it and disappears. I spread my wings and take off through the gap. The doctors spill out of the buidling and go after me, claiming that I am too ill to be out alone. I land on my hands and knees in an alley. I jump back up and sprint down the road. 

I turn into a wolf. Dog catchers! I freeze. "That's an Egyptian wolf!" one of them gasps. "They're an endangered species," "How did he get here?" the other frowns. "I bet they would pay a fortune for him at the kennels," He bends down and reaches for me. "Come here, boy," he smiles. I step back. "He's sure got big ears," the other man snorts. 

I growl. "Is he meant to be that skinny?" "Yeah, they all are," the man nods. "Scrawney little thing, huh?" I pin my ears back. Why you - something slams into my shoulder. I can't move. I return to my human form. I'm on my hands and knees, pawing the ground, whimpering. "What's your name, kid?" "U-uu-h," I collapse. What ever landed in my arm paralyzed me. "Got him!" a doctor walks over. He ties my wrists and ankles together. Pulls me over his shoulders. A hunter with a dead animal. He pulls a needle out of my shoulder and tosses it away. 

Back in the cell. They question me about the killings again. I'm being monitered by cameras. Supposed to be watching a video about crimes. They're trying to persuade me. I hold the remote in my hands. "Tell us what happened to your parents," my nurse says from behind the glass wall. "What brought you to murder your friends? Why do you kill?" "It won't stop," I say bluntly. "What won't stop? You don't wanna kill anyone. That's bad," "They ruined my life. They killed me...and my family," I say. 

"What? You're alive!" the policeman says loudly. "Who killed your family? Could you show us what they looked like?" I clutch the remote. The picture on the TV screen goes all fuzzy. The lights flicker. The scenes that haunt me so much are played out on the screen. I glare wildly. "Oh my god," the nurse stutters. "He's got ESP!" "Don't be stupid!" the policeman grunts. "He's messed with the tape." They watch the scenes. The lightbulbs burst and the whole room shakes. "Stop!" my nurse cries. "Please!" 

I drop the remote. The room stays still and the lights repair themselves, flickering back on. My tears drip onto the floor between my feet, staining it a darker colour. "It...won't...stop..." I whisper. "And...I'm sorry," I look up. My pupils shrink to the size of pinpricks. The TV explodes. The glass wall shatters again. The wires spark into flames that travel along like a fuse for dynamite. The bulbs burst again. "STOP IT!" they scream. Their equipment blows up. I just sit there, in the center of a ring of flames, on a plain chair. 

I get up and walk over to the nurse. She is burnt, but still alive. She gives a sharp gasp as I hold her up in my arms. My fangs extend. Her head falls back. I move closer to her neck, then sink my fangs in. She chokes, stiffens. Her blood is sweet and warm. A river of it forms at my feet. I swallow a final mouthful, drop her and take off into the night sky. It rains. I land in a dark corner of town, sink to the ground and curl up. Shaking. Weeping. I grip my shoulders, arms crossed over, and dig my claws into my back. I drag them along broken skin. 

Days pass. Weeks. I grow weaker. Haven't had any blood since I got here. Depressed. Very depressed. Just sit there, staring at the floor, rocking back and forth. I'm nothing. Nothing. My mind has been fed to the demons. I'm just a body. Empty. No soul. No mind. No heart. Just a shell. A dying shell... 

A cold night. It rains. I lie on the hard ground, shaking. I want to die. Anything is better than being trapped in this state. Getting a bit too thin. Can't see properly. It's all blurry at times along with double vision. Can't speak properly. Hearing tunes in and out. Can't move. "Hey!" a woman shouts. "There's someone over here!" Footsteps. Someone kneels down beside me. She brushes my hair out of my eyes. I squint. From what I can make out, she has short blonde hair, long nails and a blue dress on. "Hey, dude," she says softly. "What are you doing out here like this, huh?" 

"My name's Laylah," she says. "I guess your not a kid. You must be about...somewhere between sixteen and nineteen...am I right?" I open my mouth to speak, but let out a small stutter. "I need to get you to a hospital," Laylah croaks. "Okay?" I stare at her. My vision blurs again. "Is there anything you need?" she asks, getting a mobile phone out of her pocket. I gape like a fish out of water. No! The doctors will take me to the police again! 

Laylah begins to make her phonecall, but notices something. My fangs and my arm. She slowly puts her phone away. "Y-You're the hybrid?" she whispers hoarsly into my ear. I muster a small nod. Hope she's not a hunter or a demon in disguise. "You poor thing," she furrows her brows. "What have they done to you? I-I'll take you back to my place. I'll take care of you, I promise. I won't tell anyone that you're there," I lift my head off the ground, sniffle at the air and flop back down again. She's a human. 


End file.
